Give up TV to raise money for MS research? It will be tough but worth it!

I’m Adam. I’m husband to Francesca and dad to three darling girls – Isla aged seven, Honor aged five and Indira aged four. This May, we’re all giving up TV (and Netflix!) to Kiss Goodbye to MS.
I know it will probably cause a few rows, but it’s worth it to raise awareness of MS and money for research.

Being diagnosed with progressive MS

I was diagnosed with primary progressive MS in 2016. It was tough. Part of me was relieved to know what was wrong because I’d been having symptoms for six years. Then I realised that there’s no cure and, at the moment, no treatments.

You want your doctor to be able to tell you what’s going to happen. But they don’t know – they don’t know at what pace the MS will get worse or if I’ll need a wheelchair.

Luckily I’m a positive guy. I’ve got lots to live for – a great wife and kids and a good support network.

Staying positive for my girls

My daughters are a great motivation to stay positive. They help me to not worry too much.

One thing I’ve never been able to do is run in the father’s race on their school sports day. I used to be really active. Now I can’t run and I can’t stand up for long. But I believe in my lifetime, researchers will find a cure.

The MS Society has helped me connect with people who understand because they’re going through the same thing. My local group had a newly diagnosed meet-up about 10 days after I was diagnosed, which is where I made friends with people with MS. We’ve got a WhatsApp group that’s quite active, we have a moan, but we also support each other and share tips on what can help.

I called the MS Helpline when I was diagnosed and had a long chat that helped a lot too.

Why I’m Kissing Goodbye to TV

For me, it’s important to take part in Kiss Goodbye to MS because I want to do anything I can to raise awareness.

Having MS has made me see disability differently, especially invisible disability. If you look at me, you’d think ‘He’s not disabled’. But actually I am – because I can’t get from A to B easily. I think we need to increase the understanding that you don’t have to be in a wheelchair to be disabled.

And I want to raise money for research because I really believe the researchers will crack MS.

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